In the end, Xing Yao went out with a box of mooncakes and came back with only two empty boxes.
"I wanted to go to Military Advisor Chi to exchange the mooncakes, but other generals were there and thought that the mooncakes I took were given to them by the prince. Before I could say a word, the mooncakes were snatched away. Military Advisor Chi said that the mooncakes he took out were also snatched away in this way."
After hearing this, Feng Shuo's face turned as dark as the bottom of a pot.
Jiang Yanyi's cheeks hurt from trying so hard to hold back his laughter.
Feng Shuo said sinisterly, "Let's bring some generals who have eaten mooncakes to my tent to discuss matters, and call Chi Qing as well."
Xing Yao bowed in response, and Jiang Yanyi silently lit a candle for them in his heart.
****
Moon-watching is a must during the Mid-Autumn Festival. At night, a bonfire was lit in the Hengzhou camp. Jiang Yanyi taught the cooks from the Huotouying camp how to make a simple hotpot. However, the way this pot of stew was cooked before serving was more like maocai.
Although the soldiers could not be reunited with their families, they were in good spirits to have the reunion dinner with their brothers who had been through life and death together. It was only when it was late at night that they could not sleep and missed home.
The soldiers under the command of various princes envied the treatment of the soldiers in the Hengzhou camp. They were also soldiers, but they were loved by the people and had mooncakes to eat during the Mid-Autumn Festival. On the other hand, they could not even have a full meal on weekdays, and they could not find many fellow villagers in the camp. When they missed home, they had no one to talk to.
That night, the soldiers who had mooncakes to eat missed home, and the soldiers who didn't have mooncakes missed home even more.
When the time came, the soldiers seemed to have returned to their camps to rest, but none of them fell asleep.
It was already the evening of the tenth hour when Jiang Yanyi finished her work in the military camp. Feng Shuo was afraid that it would be unsafe for her to travel at night, so he asked her to rest in the military camp tonight.
He also had to discuss matters with his generals. Jiang Yanyi couldn't sleep, so when Feng Shuo came, he roasted some young corn in the charcoal pile left over from the bonfire.
August and September are the corn harvest seasons, but wealthy families don't eat corn much, thinking it is a coarse food. Ordinary people mixing corn into their meals when entertaining guests is a sign of disrespect for the guests.
Previously, the palace kitchen had not bought tender corn, and Jiang Yanyi thought that the corn was not ripe yet. Today, he saw it in Huotouying and found out the reason after asking.
As a modern person, Jiang Yanyi has no prejudice against corn. Tender corn is a delicacy whether boiled in water or grilled on charcoal. It is even more delicious when used to stew bone soup. However, the most classic way to eat it is to steam corn cakes with sycamore leaves. During the corn harvest season, the old people in the countryside will steam a pot of it.
While Jiang Yanyi was explaining these ways of eating corn to Chenyu and Huo Jianjia, he estimated the time to turn the corn over the charcoal. The roasted corn was golden brown with a little bit of black, and it smelled delicious.
Huo Jianjia was strong and tough and was not afraid of the burn. He found a few wooden sticks, sharpened them and skewered the roasted corns. He wiped off the dust that accidentally got on the corn cobs and bit them directly.
The corn kernels are crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. They taste fragrant and sweet, but a little hot.
When Huo Jianjia was chewing, she accidentally sent a streak of smoke on her face, which made Chenyu burst into laughter. Huo Jianjia chased Chenyu to hit her, and Chenyu quickly hid behind Jiang Yanyi and complained first: "Boss, look at Jianjia!"
Huo Jianjia rolled her eyes at her, put her own knife aside, sat back and continued to eat corn.
Chenyu quickly made a face at her like a smug villain. Huo Jianjia snorted, turned around and continued to eat the roasted corn without even looking at Chenyu.
Jiang Yanyi was so amused by these two funny guys that he almost couldn't straighten his back with laughter.
At this time they didn't know that danger was coming.
In the darkness of night, a group of people moved silently through the dense forest like ghosts.
A scout turned back from the front and half-knelt in front of the bearded general to report: "The general is really as good as a god. The bonfire in the Hengzhou camp has not stopped tonight. It seems that they are celebrating a festival."
The bearded man sneered, "Fortunately, we got the intelligence from the King of Xinyang. We found that there were indeed no scouts from the Hengzhou Army when we passed through Hengling. The people of the Central Plains attach great importance to the Mid-Autumn Festival. They will eat and drink well tonight and will definitely be careless. We will kill them by surprise and seize Hengzhou in one fell swoop. The gates of Daxuan will be completely opened!"
*****
It was already midnight when Feng Shuo finished discussing important matters with his subordinates. Jiang Yanyi left him a roasted corn, but Feng Shuo refused to eat it.
He was working on official documents at his desk, and Jiang Yanyi moved a small stool to sit next to him, peeling corn kernels one by one and feeding them to him.
He refused to eat the corn by himself, and he ate the corn she peeled with a clear conscience. Jiang Yanyi didn't know whether he refused it because he was giving her face because of her hard work, or because he thought it was unsightly to eat the corn by himself.
Thinking of this, Jiang Yanyi couldn't help but laugh out loud.
Feng Shuo raised his eyes to look at her, "What are you laughing at?"
Jiang Yanyi smiled and shook his head without saying anything.
Feng Shuo reached out and gently scratched the tip of her nose, with a look of shame in his eyes that only he could understand: "I'm sorry, Yi, I can't spend a good Mid-Autumn Festival with you this year."
Jiang Yanyi put down the corn in her hand, hugged his arms with both hands, rubbed her head against his arms gently, raised her head and said with a smile: "Aren't you accompanying me now?"
He was always reading official documents, how could that be considered accompanying her
When she said this, Feng Shuo felt even more guilty. He leaned over and kissed her on the lips. "There are fireflies in the back hills. Can I take you to see them?"
Jiang Yanyi lived in the city in his previous life and had few opportunities to see fireflies, but when he heard this suggestion, and he was going with the person he loved, it was impossible not to be moved.
She hesitated and glanced at the documents in front of Feng Shuo's case: "Are these not urgent to deal with?"
Feng Shuo ruffled her hair and said, "We don't need this hour."
The joy in Jiang Yanyi's eyes could no longer be hidden, but he coughed lightly and acted reluctantly: "Since you want to see fireflies so much, then I will go with you to see them."
Feng Shuo looked helpless yet doting, and he couldn't suppress the upturned corners of his mouth.
He rode Wuyun and took Jiang Yanyi out of the military camp and went straight to the back mountain.
The moon is big and round tonight, and the autumn weather is no longer as hot as midsummer.
Jiang Yanyi sat on the horse with his back pressed against Feng Shuo's chest. He felt as if he was leaning on a rock and felt indescribably at peace.
The evening breeze blowing on her face brought the unique coolness of early autumn nights, and she squinted her eyes comfortably.
Feng Shuo's voice came from behind, and it was particularly low in the night: "If you like fireflies, I can catch some and put them in white gauze, and use them as lamps."
Jiang Yanyi smiled and said, "The firefly bag reflects the snow?"
Feng Shuo chuckled: "You know quite a few stories."
Jiang Yanyi snorted lightly and raised her chin. Feng Shuo laughed muffledly behind her.
After walking for a while, you can see small green dots of light rising and falling in the distant dense forest, like a winding green ribbon.
It was the first time that Jiang Yanyi saw such spectacular fireflies and he was simply amazed. However, Feng Shuo's expression changed and he even pulled the reins of his horse.
"What..." Jiang Yanyi turned her head and was about to ask him why he suddenly stopped, but Feng Shuo covered her mouth with his hand.
"There are people walking in the woods, and there may be quite a few of them." Feng Shuo said this almost into Jiang Yanyi's ear.
This was not the first time Feng Shuo came back here. Before, he could only see fireflies on the outskirts of the forest. Now, looking from afar, he could see that the fireflies deep in the forest were also flying up, and they formed a very continuous band of light. It was obvious that someone was walking through the forest and disturbed the other fireflies resting in the forest.
When Jiang Yanyi heard him say this, his heart instantly tightened.
This is the garrison of the Hengzhou camp. It is heavily patrolled on weekdays and even ordinary people who approach within five miles will be driven away. Anyone who comes out of the woods in the middle of the night is definitely not a good person.
Feng Shuo quickly dismounted and said to Jiang Yanyi, "Hengling is a natural barrier. There is no defense here. Someone came over. It is obvious that the defense map has been leaked. You should return to the barracks and tell Chi Qing, Han Tuo, Xiao Han and others about this. They know what to do. The allied generals in the camp cannot be trusted completely. If you meet them after returning to the camp, don't ask for help easily."
Jiang Yanyi knew that he was worried that there was a traitor in the allied forces. She seemed to be very calm, but she was still afraid for no reason. She whispered to Feng Shuo: "What about you?"
Feng Shuo just shook her hand and said, "I'll go check out how many people are in the forest. You go back and report. The sooner the main camp knows about the enemy situation, the better their chances of winning."
After saying that, Feng Shuo let go of her hand, just glanced at her, and stepped into the night.
Jiang Yanyi also knew that the situation was urgent and that no time could be lost, so she turned her horse around and rode the dark cloud back the same way.
She was light and Wuyun was very human, so they ran very fast along the way. The guards at the gate of the camp recognized Wuyun and saw her carrying someone from afar, so they removed the fence.
When they went out, Feng Shuo and Jiang Yanyi rode out together, but when they came back, only Jiang Yanyi came alone. The guards saw that Jiang Yanyi did not slow down when he arrived at the military camp, and rushed into the military camp directly on the dark cloud, and they were a little puzzled.
Jiang Yanyi asked a patrolling young officer about Chi Qing's tent. When she arrived, Wuyun was running too fast and she didn't have enough strength, so she almost failed to hold him back, allowing Wuyun to run directly into Chi Qing's tent.
Chi Qing sat leisurely at the table with a half-filled pot of wine in his hand. Compared with his usual nonchalant attitude, he seemed a little more uninhibited.
Seeing Jiang Yanyi riding the dark cloud, he raised his eyebrows in surprise: "Miss Chu, are you practicing horsemanship in the middle of the night?"
Jiang Yanyi had no time to argue with him, and said in one breath: "A large group of troops have passed through Hengling. The prince has gone to investigate the enemy situation himself, and asked me to return to the camp to inform you, Han Tuo, and General Xiao Han."
When Chi Qing heard that the enemy was coming through Hengling, he dropped the wine jug in his hand and walked out of the tent quickly, ordering the guard at the door: "Go and call General Han Tuo and General Xiao Han!"
Jiang Yanyi was so nervous that her hands and feet were so weak that she couldn't get off the horse. She sat on the horse and said to Chi Qing, "The prince is alone over there. I hope the military advisor will send someone to help him immediately."
Chi Qing could tell at a glance that Jiang Yanyi was nervous, so she asked someone to call her two maids over and comforted her, "Don't worry, Miss Chu. I will send the elite troops of the Tiger Step Camp to meet the prince. The enemy came from Hengling in the middle of the night, so their number must be limited. I guess they want to launch a surprise attack, and their target is most likely food and medicinal materials."
"They are most likely to have accomplices in the army. General Han and General Xiao will be preparing to meet the enemy soon. I have to keep an eye on the various princes and catch the spy. Miss Chu, you go secretly move the food and medicine to a safe place."
These three are the most useful people under Feng Shuo. Chi Qing's plan is to put himself, Han Tuo and Xiao Han in the open so that the traitors can relax their vigilance, and then Jiang Yanyi will complete the final deployment.
Chi Qing allocated three thousand soldiers to Jiang Yanyi and asked her to transport food and medicinal materials.
Jiang Yanyi was afraid that he would be recognized, which would be a big trouble if he was taken hostage. So he and Huo Jianjia and Chenyu changed into ordinary soldier uniforms.
The entire Hengzhou camp seemed calm, but everything had been carried out in an orderly and secret manner.
The soldiers were homesick and could not sleep at all. When they received the news of the enemy attack, they immediately put on their armor and took up their swords and assembled.
The leader in charge of the team gave a lecture with a stern face: "The people of Hengzhou City just brought mooncakes to you today. If you don't kill two Minghan rats tonight, you will be unworthy of the mooncakes you ate! If you can't defend Hengzhou, you will be too ashamed to see the elders and villagers of Hengzhou!"
The bloodiness in the soldiers' hearts was instantly aroused, and each of them wanted to rush to the battlefield to kill the enemy immediately.
****
It was the first time that Jiang Yanyi witnessed the terrifying efficiency of Feng Shuo's direct troops. It took less than a quarter of an hour from loading the food and medicinal materials to secretly transporting them out of the Hengzhou camp.
They went out of the side door of the military camp. Before leaving, the entire Hengzhou camp still looked quiet, with no sign of an imminent battle.
Except for Feng Shuo's own men, the troops of the several other princes didn't hear any news at all.
In order to avoid accidentally hurting other people by catching the traitor, Chi Qing also made full preparations.
As long as there is an enemy attack, the first to rush out will definitely be Feng Shuo's direct troops who are ready to fight. They have resisted the first wave of attacks, and the troops of the several princes have time to prepare for the battle and will not be in danger.
But if any party is like Feng Shuo's direct troops and is ready for fighting early in the morning, then the traitor will come out.
Han Tuo led the troops mainly for external attacks, while Xiao Han led them to prevent internal traitors from attacking.
Even though he had already left the Hengzhou camp with food and medicine, Jiang Yanyi's heart was still pounding.
We must win this battle tonight, otherwise not only will the morale of the soldiers plummet, but the people of Hengzhou will also be disappointed with the army.
She sat in the carriage, watching the shadows of the trees quickly receding outside the window. She was still very nervous and tried to say something else to Huo Jianjia and Chenyu to ease her anxiety: "I asked someone to send mooncakes to my uncle earlier. I wonder if he received it."
Author has something to say: Jiang Yanyi: The romantic Mid-Autumn Festival is gone, the fireflies are gone...
Feng Shuo: Chop off their heads!
Huo Jianjia: Chop off the head! Chop off the head!